NASCAR released its 2023 Hall of Fame class on Wednesday, which includes three legendary racers: Matt Kenseth, Kirk Shelmerdine and Hershel McGriff.
This was Kenseth’s first year on the ballot. The Wisconsin native won 39 races over 22 seasons and 697 starts. Kenseth is known for winning the last pre-playoff title, the 2003 Cup Series, before NASCAR transitioned into the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff format.
The 50-year-old continued racing up until 2020, when he took over for Kyle Larson at the 2020 Chip Ganassi Racing event. Larson was fired for saying a racial slur during a video-game race.
Shelmerdine served as a crew chief for 16 years, finishing his career with 46 wins in 460 starts. He was most known for working as Dale Earnhardt’s crew chief during four of his championship seasons: 1986, ’87, ’90 and ’91.
Shelmerdine finished his NASCAR career racing on the track, making 24 Cup Series starts in seven seasons in the 2000s. He won three ARCA races and finished 20th in the 2006 Daytona 500.
McGriff’s NASCAR career spanned over four decades as he made his debut in 1950. The 94-year-old won four races in 1954. His last race was in 1994, when he was 66 years old.
McGriff won the 1986 K&N Pro Series West race, marking his most notable career achievement. He finished his series career with 34 wins in 271 starts. He was a top-10 finisher in over half of the K&N Pro Series West races.
